Tuesday, June 15, 2010

2010 NBA Draft Ratings: Evan Turner

Turner is expected to be drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and should slot right in as their starting SG.

Based upon what I have seen, heard, and read of Turner, he is the most NBA-ready draft prospect and could be the favorite for Rookie of the Year depending on how many touches he gets in Philadelphia (trading Andre Iguodala would almost certainly net him the award).

Like Iguodala, Turner is a versatile player, bringing rebounding, ball handling, passing, and defense to the wing position. While Iguodala is merely just a dunker on offense, Turner is closer to the complete package, drawing comparisons to Brandon Roy on the offensive end with an excellent mid-range game and crafty slashing game.

I'm posting whatever keeps me entertained. Next team I post might actually be the Timberwolves, who are really the team that needs the most editing in the game, a lot of their players are way off.

I intentionally didn't edit many of them because I was waiting to see if 2K Sports would ever catch on, but they never touched grossly underrated guys like Ryan Gomes, Ryan Hollins, or Damien Wilkins. I did find it interesting - I don't think 2K explicitly copies my ratings btw but I'm willing to bet there's someone who DLs my roster and brings my changes to their attention. Anyway I've got only 3 guys left to edit (Hollins, Jawai, and Pecherov), after that I'll post them up.

I have Tyreke Evans at 81 overall although Evans also started the year a bit lower. However, it's still worth noting that like John Wall, Evans is 2 years younger and still has a lot of room for growth (like Wall, in the perimeter shooting department).

Also considering James Harden spent much of the year rated 76 overall, I don't have much of a problem with Turner being 80 overall. He truely is a very well-rounded player and it remains to be seen how many of his skills will translate to the next level. I'm guessing his rebounding takes a hit if he's playing SG in the NBA, but he could just as easily be the next Jason Kidd in this regard.

I mean, the guy is the consensus #2 pick in the John Wall draft for a reason. Even Dwyane Wade and Brandon Roy went only 5th and 7th respectively in their drafts.

John Salmons, Ben Gordon, James Harden (75): I find it tough to believe Turner won't be better than these players right off the bat. Turner AT WORST seems to be as good as Milwaukee John Salmons (and nowhere near as bad as Chicago John Salmons).

Going back to another 2009 rookie: Darren Collison is 81 overall, though obviously started the season lower. Like Turner, he was 22 this year. 2K had Collison at only 65 overall last season but I had him in the 70s to start the year just based on his draftexpress scouting report.

I find that draft express is really accurate with many evaluations, and they scout players in such a way that makes it very easy for me to translate into rating form. I don't even bother reading other draft sites for information anymore.